Breech-loading firearm.



No. 637,043. Patented Nov. l4, I899.

w. L. STOCKWELL. BREECH LOADING FIREARM.

(Application filed Feb. 21, 1899.)

(No Model.)

llerrrn STATES A Arn'r intent.

WILLIAM L. STOCKXVELL, OF AOKERLAND, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOSEPH K. BRADFORD, OF MOLOUTI-I, KANSAS.

BREECH-LOADING FIREARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 637,043, dated November 14, 1899.

Application filed February 21, 1899. Serial No. 706,311. (No model.)

1'0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. STOOKWELL, of Ackerland, Leavenworth county, Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breech-Loading Firearms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to breech-loading firearms; and it consists in certain novel and pe culiar features of construction and combina tions of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

The object of the invention is to provide a breech-loading firearm provided with two barrels adapted to contain two rifle cartridges, two shotgun-shells, or one cartridge and one shell, only one of which, however, can be fired at a time.

Other objects will hereinafter appear, and in order that the invention may be fully understood I will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side View of a firearm embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a view of the opposite side when broken to expose the breech. Fig. 3 is a plan or top view partly broken away. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section of the breech end of the barrels, said figure also showing in elevation the breech-block and the hammer. Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the breech end of the barrels. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the hammer mechanism. Fig. 7 is a face view of the hammer mechanism.

In the said drawings, 1 designates the stock; 2, the hollow extension thereof to receive the breech end of the barrel; 3, the hammer; 4, the

trigger; 5, the trigger-guard; 6, the grip,

and 7 8 superposed barrels, the lower barrel in this instance being adapted to receive shotgun-shells and the upper barrel rifle-cartridges, though it is to be understood, of course, that both may be shotgun-barrels or both may be rifle-barrels.

9 designates the breech-block carried by the stock, and 10 11 the usual firing-pins to transmit the blow of the hammer to the priming of the cartridge and shell.

12 designates an opening in the hammer, in which is pivoted a thumb-piece 13, having its forward end in the form of a pin 14. The front face of the hammer is provided with a longitudinal groove 15 of dovetail form, and dovetailed in said groove and adapted to slide therein is a plate 16, provided with an aperture 17, in which the pin let of the thumbpiece snugly fits, so that the pivotal operation of said thumb-piece may shift the position of the plate 16, and thereby throw one or the other of its holes or openings 18 19 in alinement, respectively, with the firing-pin 10 or 11, said holes being so disposed with relation to said pins that when one opening registers with its pin the other does not, to the end that it will be absolutely impossible to discharge the cartridge and shell at the same time. When the hammer descends in response to the required pressure on the trigger, (the intermediate mechanism being of any approved pattern and therefore not shown in this connection,) one of the holes or openings receives its respective pin without discharging the corresponding cartridge or shell, While the other pin, being out of alinement with its respective hole or opening, receives the blow of the hammer, and transmitting said blow to the corresponding cartridge or shell causes the latter to explode. When it is desired to expel the cartridge from the lower barrel, the operator presses down upon the thumb-piece 13 and slides the plate 16 upward, and when he desires to fire the other cartridge or shell he presses the thumb-piece upward in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 3, and thereby slides the plate 16 downward, as will be readily understood.

In order to prevent any possibility of discharging the bullet when it is desired to explode the shell, the hammer is formed with one or more recesses 20, and seated therein is a spring or springs 21, which exert pressure upon the slide-plate 16, and thereby hold it reliably in the position to which it is adjusted by the operator. The stock is pivoted near its front lower corner, as at 22, to the foremost tenon 24:, depending vertically from the tang 23 of the barrels, the extension 2 of the stock being formed with mortises 25 to receive said tenons when the parts are arranged in their proper relative position for firing, this too arrangement being adapted to relieve the breech-block of the strain imposed by each explosion or discharge.

26 designates lateral enlargements which are formed at the breech end of the barrel, their inner ends or shoulders 27 being curved concentrically of the pivot 22, and in orderto provide for the reception of these lateral enlargements 26 the extension 2 is recessed at opposite sides, the walls 28 of said recesses being curved to correspond with and fit snugly against the shoulders 27 of said enlargements. The breech is also provided at one side with an external longitudinal groove 29, which is bridged at its rear end by the enlargement 26 at the corresponding side and communicates with the approximately semicircular recess 30 in the end face of the breech. (See Fig. 5.) The cartridge extractor or ejector consists of the slide-bar 31, fitting in the groove 29, and

provided at its front end with an outwardlybeing adapted to fit snugly in the recess 30 when ready for firing, with its opposite ends underlying the flange of the cartridge and shell in a well-known manner. (See Fig. 2, where the cartridge and shell are partly withdrawn from the breech.) The cartridge extractor or ejector is operated through the engagement of the pin 32 with the notch 34, formed in the upper edge of the stock extension 2, so that as the opening in the breech is exposed by breaking the firearm the extractor or ejector is slid rearward to the position shown in Fig. 2, and as the breech is closed by the restoration of the parts to operative position the extractor or ejector is forced forward until the arm-33 is seated in the recess 30. y 35 (see Fig. 5) designates a mortise in the opposite side of the breech to receive the tenon 37, formed in the front end of a finger-plate 36, mounted upon the vertical pivot 38 in a recess 39 of the extension 2, a spring 40, seated in said recess, being utilized to hold the tenon 37 normally in engagement with the mortise 35.

When the person in charge wishes to break the gun, he simply presses with his finger upon the lever 36, and thereby disengages the tenon 37 from the mortise 35, and when it is desired to restore the gun to its firing conditionhe swings the breech back into the stock, Where it is locked by the automatic engagement of the tenon and mortise, this action taking place because the engagement of the tenon withthe beveled surface 26 of the extension 2 forces the former outward until the tenon and mortise register, when the spring throws the former into the latter.

41 designates a plate which is secured in a recess in the upper side of the barrel in any suitable manner and is formed with a pair of ears or lugs 42, in which is journaled the rod 43, provided with an arm 44 centrally between Said ears or lugs. At one end it is provided cured to the barrel, as at 49, or to the plate 41 and rests near its rear end upon the arm of said shaft, its extreme rear end extending u pward and formed centrally with the shoulder or notch 50. By this construction it is obvious that the sight can be adjusted as the firearm is aimed by simply causing the spring-arm 45 to engage one tooth or another of said segmental series 46. In this operation the arm 44, underlying the spring-plate 48, obviously raises the latter as the arm 45 is swung forward, and the sight isheld at the required. point by the engagement of said arm 45 with one of said teeth. The sight is lowered by simply swinging the arm 45 rearward. In this connection it will be understood, of course, that the teeth may be very small and numerous, so asto provide for an extremely fine adjustment of the sight.

As the operation of the various parts has been described in connection with the refer ence to the detail construction and arrange ment of the parts, it is deemed unnecessary to recapitulate the operation, it being only necessary to observe that various changes in the detail construction, form, or arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it will be apparent that the firearm as shown and described embodies not only the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of invention, but that it is also of simple, compact, durable, and in expensive construction.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A breech-loading firearm, comprising, the stock provided with a hollow extension having a notch or recess 34 in each front upper corner, and recessed internally to provide the curved walls or shoulders 28, and the bar-- rel having its breech end seated and pivoted in the hollow extension, and formed with lateral enlargements 26 having curved shoulders 27, and provided also with a longitudinal groove 29 bridged by one of the enlargements 26, and a cartridge-ejector consisting of a slide-bar 30 held reliably in the groove 29 by the bridging enlargement 26, and provided at its front end with an outwardly-projecting pivot-pin 32 fitting in the notch or recess 34 of the stock extension, substantially as described.

2. A breech-loading firearm having superposed barrels, the stock provided with a hollow extension in which the breech end of the barrels is seated, and with a breech-block to close the breech-openings, firing-pins seated in said breech-block, a hammer mounted in the stock, a slide-plate carried by said hammer and provided with holes corresponding in number to the firing-pins, one of the holes being out of register with its respective firingpin as the other registers with its respective firing-pin, and a thumb-piece pivoted to the hammer and engaging said slide-plate, substantially as described.

3. A breech-loading firearm having superposed barrels, the stock provided with a hollow extension in which the breech end of the barrel is seated, and with a breech-block to close the breech-openings, firing-pins seated in said breech block, a hammer mounted in the stock, a slide-plate carried by said hammer and provided with holes corresponding 

